While the two little lolis were still tussling in the back seat, the car had already rolled to a stop at the mouth of Hualan Street, chrome gleaming like fish scales under a pale sun. From the corner, a neat row of luxury cars sat like polished armor, and the street itself announced wealth like a brass gong.

“Miss, miss, we’ve arrived.” The driver parked and turned to remind Joanna, his voice steady as a hand on the reins.

Joanna was straddling the Little Loli’s slim waist, legs pinning her like a silk ribbon knotted tight. The Little Loli’s wrists were caught and pressed above her head, her wide eyes damp as morning dew yet bright with stubborn light. Her lips, red as ripe berries, were pursed in quiet defiance, inviting teeth the way a cherry tempts a bird.

“Heh-heh, little girl, I finally caught you. Let’s see if you behave now.” Joanna spoke with a queen’s poise, a crescent smile like a drawn bow. She dipped in, lips about to land.

The driver’s reminder cut in like a pebble on a still pond. The two little lolis were five centimeters from a very harmonious moment.

“Tsk, talk about bad timing. Xiaoxue, let’s move.” Joanna climbed off with reluctant heat still on her cheeks, smoothed her clothes like straightening silk, and pushed the door open.

“Phew. Saved at last.” The Little Loli breathed out like a freed sparrow, then rose and patted her hair back into place, each strand a golden thread. She turned to the driver with a sunny bend of her eyes. “Thanks, uncle.” Then she hopped out too.

“Uncle…” Hearing that sugar-sweet word from a cherub’s lips, a few cartoonish black lines crawled across the driver’s face. He caught his reflection in the mirror like catching a drifting cloud. “Uncle? Do I look that old?” He fixed his hair to sharpen the edges of his spirit.

“You’re really slow, Xiaoxue.” Joanna’s tone flicked like a fan as she saw Xiao Qianxue get down.

“Hmph, and whose fault is it that someone wanted to do something oh-so-loving to me in the car and messed up my clothes?” The Little Loli fired back without yielding, then tipped the little top hat on her head like a sparrow pecking grain.

“Alright, alright, let’s go.” Joanna knew she was in the wrong and didn’t press it. She took the Little Loli’s hand, fingers warm as spring tea, and led her on.

Step into Hualan Street and the décor alone could dazzle a commoner’s eyes like fireworks; people would joke they only stopped short of paving the threshold with gold. As for Young Master Wu, his family could have copied a street like this brick for brick; surprising him would be a waste of incense.

Joanna watched the Little Loli’s face, searching for a glimmer of awe, a ripple of greed. Nothing. Not in her features, not in her gaze, which stayed as calm as a winter lake.

“Xiaoxue, you’ve been here before?” Curiosity pricked like a pin.

“Nope. I like to hole up at home. Why would I come to a place like this? What’s up?” Her denial was light as a breeze through bamboo.

Joanna’s eyes shifted, a cloud passing the moon, then returned to clear. “Nothing. Let’s keep going.”

In Joanna’s heart, Xiao Qianxue took another step up the terrace. Ordinary girls didn’t have this steadiness; even she still got her eyes snagged by a grand façade now and then, like fish caught by bright scales.

They walked the street, a stream of couples flowing around them like a river of silk. Many were nouveau riche men showing off to girls who’d never seen waves this high, while old-money families led their juniors like cranes guiding fledglings.

The two of them drew eyes like lanterns in dusk. One goth-styled Little Loli and one with a faint queen’s aura, side by side—impact like a bell struck in a quiet hall. Most here had manners, though. They didn’t stare. At most, they let their gazes linger like reluctant swallows, then returned to their errands.

“Xiaoxue, I’ll take you to my favorite boutique for clothes. Come on.” Joanna’s fingers hooked the Little Loli’s hand, and she hurried forward like a kite catching wind.

“Yikes, Nana, slow down. We’ve got time.” The Little Loli almost stumbled, regained her rhythm like a dancer, and followed her bestie to a storefront.

They stepped into a boutique for girls, understated décor like muted ink, but the clothes themselves were high-grade, each cut sharp as frost. The moment they entered, a pretty salesgirl glided over with a practiced smile.

“Miss Qiao, you’re here today. And this is…?” Her words trailed off as the Little Loli came into focus, and awe washed her face like starlight.

“She’s my friend. I brought her out to play.” Joanna answered, steady as tea poured in one line. The Little Loli returned a courteous smile, soft as peach blossom.

“Too cute!!!!” The salesgirl’s eyes turned starry outright, then she coughed, reining herself in. “Ahem—sorry, lost my cool. Please, come in. We’ve got lots of new arrivals.” She gestured like opening a curtain.

“Let’s go, Xiaoxue.” Joanna led. The Little Loli followed with an unhurried grace, dew on grass, moon on water.

Time slid by like sand through jade fingers. It was nearly afternoon when the two little lolis emerged, shopping bags light as clouds. Joanna picked a dress with a starry base and a white knit cardigan, like night paired with snow. Xiao Qianxue chose a white chiffon short-sleeved shirt with a printed pleated mini skirt, petals on a breeze. She hadn’t meant to buy, but under Joanna and the salesgirl’s full-court press, she yielded like willow to wind.

“Shopping is exhausting. Being a homebody is bliss.” The Little Loli’s complaint drooped like a wilted flower, though her eyes still shone.

“Already tired? Xiaoxue, how long’s it been since you last shopped?” Joanna couldn’t help teasing, then waved it away like smoke. “Let’s eat. It’s already past noon.”

“Mhm! I’m very much in favor of that!” Agreement burst like a firecracker.

Talking and laughing, they slipped into a Western restaurant where prices rose like mountain steps, and meals could scare a thrifty heart. They took a table, and the waiter assigned to them ran back and forth like a squirrel, eager to steal extra glances.

“I’m buying this time. Don’t be shy.” The little queen’s tone rang like a silver bell. The Little Loli sat obediently, nodding, cheeks soft as tofu. Joanna couldn’t resist and pinched that tender face, a peach in hand.

Their table became the room’s moon, drawing tides of attention. Some diners peeked between bites, spoons frozen midair like trapped birds. Some forgot their meals altogether and watched from the corners of their eyes.

“Being stared at while eating feels awful.” The Little Loli skimmed the room with a glance, eyes catching on gazes like hooks. She leaned into Joanna’s side, her voice low as a secret under a sleeve.

“You’ll get used to it.” Joanna’s hand stroked her golden, silk-smooth hair, and her smile rose like sunrise.

Not every gaze was idle as drifting rain. In a corner, a man dressed as plain as unpolished wood murmured into his collar, voice thin as thread. “Reporting in. Spotted that man’s granddaughter. No protection nearby. Only one girl with her. When do we move?”

“When they walk out and hit the corner, you can act. Don’t lose them.” The voice in his earpiece came back flat as iron.

“Copy.” The reply fell like a pebble into deep water, and the corner sank back into quiet.